The Catholic Church and Catholicism

The Catholic Church and Catholicism
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The Catholic Church and Catholicism
Introduction
       The term 'catholic' is coined from the Greek phrase Kath holou, which means" in general." The Latin version, catholicus, derived from the Greek adjective katholikos, was used in the medieval period to mean "belonging to the church, and conforming to its faith." Catholic was also used to refer to a member of the Roman Catholic Church (Gingerich, 2018). Thus, the Roman Catholic Church is considered the original Universal Church, tracing its origins to the Apostles of Jesus. This paper will focus on the Catholic Church, Catholicism, and the main aspects of Catholicism.
Historical Church and Catholicism
           Christians were going through a tumultuous period in Gaul (Historical Theology, n.d.). They were being raided by their enemies, plagues, and even being imprisoned by the government. During this period, the conflict between the Christians and the dissident groups was due to the believers embracing Christ fully and refusing to worship the pagan deities. The great persecution of 177 took the lives of many Christians. 
In the wake of the Christians' atrocities, St. Irenaeus was in Rome to deliver a letter to Bishop Eleutherius. Upon his return to Lyon, the capital of Gaul, St. Irenaeus was appointed the bishop. He embarked on a mission to restore the Church, focusing on the Church's unity founded only on the essentials of faith (Simonetta, 2019). He wanted to establish a unified Church that was firmly ground on the teaching of the Apostles. He also fought heresies and Gnosticism by writing works such as The Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching and Against the Heresies.
            During the era of St. Vincent of Lerins, catholic meant universal, referring to the faith that was being professed worldwide. However, some heresies misled the believers from the real faith (Agape Bible Study, n.d.). He articulated that the doctrine of the Christian religion should follow the laws of development and should be firmer over the years rather than changing. His message was that there should not be inconsistency between the first and the last, coining the axiom quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est, which means, "the true and Catholic doctrine is that which has always been held, everywhere and by everyone." He also a book against heresies called Commonitorium.
Catholicism and Main Aspects of Catholicism
           Catholicism refers to the tradition, practices, and beliefs of the Catholic Church. After the Church was divided into two factions by the Great Schism of 1054, each section followed different paths and had different views (Barton Gingerich, 2018). These two factions differed on the role and authority of the Pope and also o...